Star spinner has joined the Indian cricket team's ODI camp in Nagpur for the forthcoming first ODI of the three-match series against England. He woven a web around the English batters in the T20I series, taking 14 wickets in five games, including a five-wicket haul. India currently has four spinners overall, including Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja. If Varun is included in the squad the tally will go up to five. The national selectors can finalize the team for the ICC Champions Trophy until the end of the next series.
Varun trains with India's ODI team
On Tuesday, February 4, Varun Chakravarthy was seen training with the Indian ODI squad. As the Indian side, captained by Rohit Sharma, started getting ready for the three-match series against England, which would begin on February 6, the Kolkata Knight Riders star was spotted bowling in the nets. The training session was held in the afternoon at Nagpur's Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.
There has been no official announcement of him joining the camp in Nagpur. It is unclear if he will play in ODIs or if the appearance was only for the nets. One day after the T20I series ended in Mumbai, the Indian team, which included veteran players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, landed in Nagpur on Monday. Images from the Nagpur airport on Monday did not show Varun Chakravarthy with the rest of the team.
Ashwin on Varun
A day after former India spinner R Ashwin alluded to Varun's potential participation in India's Champions Trophy team, Varun was included in the training sessions. India has selected four spinners for their 15-man squad; if Varun is selected, it is unclear how he will be accommodated. In the recently finished T20I series, which India won 4-1, Varun had an incredible run. After claiming 14 wickets in five games, including a five-wicket haul, the spinner was named Player of the Series. The inability of England's batters to interpret Varun's variations rendered him unplayable in the middle.\
"I have a feeling that Varun might get a chance to play in the ODi series between India and England. I don't think it's an easy call to take him directly to the Champions Trophy. He has not played ODIs. I have a feeling they will give him a chance in the India vs England ODI series. If they don't give him a chance here, then it's difficult. But, nevertheless, I congratulate Varun for his first player of the tournament award. He is the Chakravarthy of T20I cricket at the moment. I wish he grows more and more," Ashwin said in his YouTube show.
The team's management,, particularly head coach Gautam Gambhir, has fully backed Varun. After Gambhir became head coach, he rejoined the T20I team after a three-year break. Varun has taken 31 wickets in 12 games after rejoining the Indian squad, making him the team's top T20I cricket match-winner. With 18 wickets in six games, Varun had a stellar run for Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He claimed two five-wicket hauls in matches against Mizoram and Rajasthan.